Process of



film, immersing the dial in a solvent to rethe surface of the dial which is to receive the "UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM S. EATON, OF SAG HARBOR, NEWV YORK.

PROCESS OF APPLYING LINES AND CHARACTERS T0 WATCH-DIALS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 430,424, dated June 17, 1890.

Application filed January 28, 1890. Serial No. 338,402. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM S. EATON, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Sag Harbor, in the county of Suifolk and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Process of Applying Lines and Characters to VVatch- Dials, of which the following is a specification.

Heretoforc in the application of lines or characters to watch-dials it has generally been customary to do this work by hand-painting the dial with the desired lines or characters; but such mode of application, requiring skilled labor, is very expensive; and it is the object of my invention to devise an improved method by means of which the lines or characters may be applied cheaply and as fine as desired to produce results equal to the best hand-painting, my process further avoiding all liability of imperfect work, and in this respect being superior to the method of applying characters by hand.

My invention consists in first applying to lines or characters a film of some plastic substance, marking or engraving through said film or coating to the surface of the dial, applying to the exposed surface coloring-matter, then removing the film or coating, and finally setting the lines or characters.

My invention further consists in covering the dial with a film or coating, marking or engraving through said film to the surface of the dial and applying to the exposed surface a coloring-matter which has an inverse aflinity from that of the film to a solvent for the move the film or coating, and finally fixing the lines or characters permanently to the dial.

In carrying out my invention I take a watch-dial the face of which is to receive lines or characters and I coat the surface with a film of some plastic substance, such as moist water-color paint or wax, though I do not limit myself to the material which 0011- stitutes the coating, nor to any particular way of applying it to the dial. hen the film has become hardened, I mark or engrave through the said film by the use of any suitable instrument to the surface of the dial, thus removing a portion of the film and exposing a portion of the dial to conform to the line or character desired, and this line or character may be made exceedingly fine by the use of a sharp-pointed needle or may be made coarser by removing more of the covering-film. After the film has been penetrated to the desired extent, and the surface of the dial has thus been exposed to conform to the lines or characters which it is desired to have appear upon its surface, I apply with a brush or roller to the exposed portions of the dial a suitable coloril'lg-matter, the surrounding coating acting practically as a stencil to protect that portion of the dial-face which has not been exposed. I may use enamel paint mixed with oil or turpentine, or lithographers or printers ink, or ordinary india-ink; but I do not limit myself to the use of any particular coloring-matter, except in the respect hereinafter set forth.

The next step in my process is in removing the film or coating, and the means used depends upon the relation of the material used for the coating and the material used for the coloring-matter, for the reason that it is necessary to utilize a removing agent for the coating which will have no effect upon the lines or characters which have been made upon the face of the dial by the use of coloring-matter. In other words, if the film is composed of moist water-colorsuch, for instance, as yellow ocher-then I use a coloring-matter that has no afiiuity for water such, for instance, as enamel paintso that I may remove the coating by immersing the dial in a bath of water, which dissolves away the film, but leaves the lines or characters made by the enamel paint untouched. \Vhen, however, the film is of wax, the lines or characters are made by the use of india-ink or powdered enamel mixed with water, and in this case I immerse the dial in a bath of benen wlines or characters by firing the dial, or in any lines or characters a film or coating, marking other Well-known or suitable Way. or engraving through said film to the surface I claim as my invention of the dial, applying to the exposed surface 1. The hereinbefore-described method of a coloring-matter which has an inverse afiin- 5 forming lines or characters upon the surface ity from that of the film to a solvent for the 20 of Watch-dials and the like, consisting in apfilm, applying to the dial a solvent and replying to the surface of the dial a film or moving the film, and finally fixing the lines coating, marking or engraving through the or characters permanently, substantially as said film or coating to the surface of the dial, described.

to applying to the exposed surface coloring-mat- In testimony whereof I affix mysignatu re in 25 ter, then removing the film or coating, and presence of two Witnesses. finally setting the lines or characters, sub- VM. S. EATON. stantially as described. Vitnesses:

2. The described method, consisting in ap- R. P. ALDRED, I 5 plying to the dial which is to receive the FRED. S. PULVER. 

